Latest news with #DallasMavericks
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cooper Flagg Reveals Basketball Moment That Left Him 'Shell-Shocked' Ahead of NBA Draft
Cooper Flagg Reveals Basketball Moment That Left Him 'Shell-Shocked' Ahead of NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's little doubt about who will be the first player to hear his name called next week in Brooklyn at the NBA draft. Advertisement All signs continue to point toward Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg as the consensus No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks. That selection would pair him with future Hall of Famers like Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and fellow Duke alum Kyrie Irving. But this won't be the first time Flagg shares the court with NBA legends. At just 17 years old—before even beginning his freshman season at Duke—he was selected to the USA Select Team, where he practiced with the Olympic Team USA squad ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Flagg matched up against stars like his soon-to-be teammate Anthony Davis, as well as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and others—and he held his own. In a recent interview with "Sports Illustrated," after being announced as the magazine's latest cover athlete, Flagg admitted that while he eventually settled in by the second day, he was initially 'shell-shocked' throughout the first day. Advertisement "I was shell-shocked," Flagg said. Now, just days away from being named the face of an NBA franchise, Cooper Flagg is poised to become one of the biggest draws in the sport—all at just 18 years old. That's a massive spotlight, but one he appears more than ready for. As a freshman, Flagg dominated the college basketball landscape and never shied away from the moment. He led Duke to both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles, and helped guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Cooper Flagg talks to the media at the NBA Draft CombineDavid Banks-Imagn Image He topped the roster in nearly every major statistical category, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. His standout season earned him numerous accolades, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Men's College Player of the Year, and both ACC Player and Rookie of the Year honors. Advertisement Related: Cooper Flagg Makes Big Decision with Mavericks Ahead of NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Intriguing Details Emerge from Cooper Flagg's Private Workout with Mavericks
Intriguing Details Emerge from Cooper Flagg's Private Workout with Mavericks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While there's little to no doubt that Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg will be selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks next week in Brooklyn at the NBA Draft, the projected top pick still traveled to Dallas this week for a private meeting and workout with the organization. Advertisement Though everything appeared to go according to plan, some intriguing details have since emerged from the workout—as Flagg prepares to become the new face of the franchise, just months after the Mavericks made the stunning decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers midseason. According to Mavericks reporter Noah Weber, Flagg was reportedly 'unreal' during Wednesday's workout. One league source told Weber that Flagg shot the ball 'insanely well' and added, 'He was even better than I expected him to be.' If everything continues to fall into place and Cooper Flagg is selected by the Dallas Mavericks, he would be joining a star-studded roster featuring three potential future Hall of Famers in Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and former Duke standout Kyrie Irving. He'd also reunite with another former Blue Devil in Dereck Lively II, who was drafted by the Mavericks two seasons ago. Advertisement During his freshman season at Duke, Flagg led the team to 35 wins, capturing both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles. He also helped guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four before they were upset by the Houston Cougars following a late second-half collapse. Former Duke forward Cooper Flagg at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.© David Banks-Imagn Images Flagg finished the season averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting an impressive 38.5% from three-point range. He led the entire Duke roster in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and minutes played. The Newport, Maine native capped off his dominant season by winning the Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, and earning both ACC Player and Rookie of the Year honors. Advertisement Related: Cooper Flagg Reveals Basketball Moment That Left Him 'Shell-Shocked' Ahead of NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Mavericks Projected to Pair Star Free Agent With Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Dallas Mavericks have gone through a rollercoaster of a year. After trading generational superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of this year's NBA trade deadline, a lot more has happened. Nico Harrison heard his name in "Fire Nico" chants throughout the remainder of the season after the Doncic deal, but the Mavericks were given some major luck. In the NBA Draft lottery, they landed the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a 1.8 percent chance of doing so. With that pick, Dallas is expected to bring in another potential generational star in Duke Blue Devils phenom Cooper Flagg. General manager of the Dallas Mavericks Nico Harrison looks on before the game of the Play-In Tournament against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on April 18, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. General manager of the Dallas Mavericks Nico Harrison looks on before the game of the Play-In Tournament against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on April 18, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo byAssuming they do take Flagg at No. 1 overall, the Mavericks would have a "big three" of Kyrie Irving, Flagg, and Anthony Davis. Those three players would quickly put Dallas back on the map as a team to watch. Read more: Spurs' Potential Kevin Durant Trade Pursuit Receives Major Update What else could they do to further improve their chances of getting right back into contention during the 2025-26 season? It has been reported that the Mavericks would like to target a point guard. Keeping that in mind, a new projection has been made that would see Dallas add a longtime star point guard to play alongside Irving, Flagg, and Davis. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has projected that the Mavericks will end up being the team that signs Chris Paul this offseason in NBA free agency. "Prediction: The Dallas Mavericks, who need a replacement guard until Kyrie Irving is healthy, use the TMLE on Paul," Pincus wrote. Paul would be an intriguing pickup for Dallas. Whether he would be a starter or play key minutes off the bench remains to be seen. Read more: Pacers Urged to Make Surprising Myles Turner Decision During the 2024-25 NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs, Paul showed that he can still have a positive impact on the game. He averaged 8.8 points per game to go along with 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals, while shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and knocking down 37.7 percent of his three-point attempts. At 40 years old, Paul would bring great experience to the court. His impact on the court would also be valuable to a team looking to turn around and quickly be a championship contender again after trading Doncic away. There will be plenty of teams around the NBA with interest in signing Paul. However, the Mavericks make a lot of sense as a potential suitor. For more on the Dallas Mavericks and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ace Bailey labeled the 'NBA's Shedeur Sanders' as he cancels workouts and fans predict worrying draft slide
Former college basketball standout and current draft prospect Ace Bailey has been labeled the ' NBA 's Shedeur Sanders' after he canceled a workout, with fans predicting a similar slide for where he will be selected. Bailey was expected to have a private workout and a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers this weekend. However, according to multiple reports, that visit has now been cancelled. The 76ers have the No 3 overall pick in this month's NBA Draft, with picks Nos 1 and 2, belonging to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs respectively, likely choosing Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Bailey had long been considered the third best prospect in the draft, with his cancelation of meeting with a high-drafting team showing a red flag to fans. Bailey is now being branded as the most polarizing prospect in the draft, as he is the only US-based prospect in this year's pool who has not visited a team in the pre-draft process. It's a little bit of deja vu to reported dissatisfaction from NFL teams that led Sanders from being a top prospect to his selection in the fifth round of the draft and No 144 overall. I think Ace Bailey might be the NBA's Shedeur Sanders… At one point, projected as a top 3 pick maybe even 2 Seen as arrogant and cocky during the pre draft process Canceled meetings and tried to direct where he landed How far could he slide? 10? He's definitely going to lose some high draft pick money. Apparently he didn't watch the NFL draft. Never been more right on any prospect. Dude is a walking red flag. Gives bizarre interviews, keep rejecting workouts, came in 3 inches shorter than expected, shot diet and decision making is a concern. Good luck to anyone who drafts him top 4 Bro 100% has a promise from Charlotte, Utah or Washington A collection of social-media messages about Bailey possibly being the NBA's Sanders According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Sanders' unenthusiastic approach to certain interviews 'rubbed some teams the wrong way' beforehand. 'At some of those [combine] meetings with certain teams that maybe Shedeur Sanders didn't really want to go to, I was told that he more or less sandbagged in those interviews,' Jones said in April. 'I don't know if he didn't take them seriously, what it was, but he did not give it his all in some of those interviews.' According to ABC 6's Jason Dumas, Bailey was 'seeking a promise from the Sixers' before committing to attend a meeting. That follows on from ESPN's Jonathan Givony projecting the Sixers would draft Baylor shooting guard VJ Edgecombe third overall. Meanwhile, he projected Bailey would fall to the sixth overall pick with the Washington Wizards. 'Bailey's predraft workout strategy has perplexed some observers, as he has yet to conduct a single known workout to date, having declined invitations from several teams within his draft range,' Givony wrote. 'Sources say Bailey's camp has informed interested teams that they believe he is a top-3 player in the draft, but also seeks a clear pathway to stardom, perhaps feeling comfortable that a team will trade up to get him at Nos. 3 or 4, should he drop. 'Some teams question whether Bailey has received assurances of being selected by a team currently outside the top five, to a situation deemed more advantageous from a geographic and playing time perspective.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Knicks Head Coach Target Makes Major Move During Offseason
Knicks Head Coach Target Makes Major Move During Offseason originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the NBA enters the offseason there is only one team remaining that is still amid a search for their next head coach. Advertisement That team in the New York Knicks as they continue to search for a replacement for Tom Thibodeau. Of course, the Knicks made the shocking decision to fire Thibodeau just three days after their playoff exit. This was a surprising move from the storied franchise as Thibodeau helped lead the team to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 and also led them to back-to-back 50-win seasons since the 1990s. New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Despite this, they felt that it was time for a change on the sidelines and they now have a crucial decision to make regarding the next head coach of the franchise. It has been reported that New York tried to interview many head coaches around the NBA, including Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, but they were turned down by every team. Advertisement Another team that shut down the Knicks was the Houston Rockets as they denied New York's request to interview head coach Ime Udoka. One Thursday, the Rockets and Udoka made a massive move as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Udoka has agreed to a long-term contract extension that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA. This is a massive move by the Rockets and Udoka and one that is well deserved after he helped Houston win 52 games and finish second in the Western Conference. With this news coming out on Thursday, it is now clear why the Rockets were unwilling to allow the Knicks to interview Udoka for their head coaching job as he will now be in Houston for the foreseeable future. Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) and head coach Ime Udoka look on in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Because of this, the Knicks now have to shift their search to other targets as they try to find the next head coach of their franchise sooner rather than later with the offseason underway. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
